Happy After Easter

04-13-09

I really wish I could get the hang of this report I have to run at mid month. I was given the ability to run it myself a couple months ago. However, I struggle. It always works out in the end, but is frustrating when I do the same thing I did last time to make it work, and it doesn’t work this time, so I don’t know what little difference is causing the problem.

So until that works, I am at a standstill. It is too early to get my IT girl to help (she isn’t in yet) and I also have to wait 30 minutes at a time after I run it so that I can check it.

My weekend seemed very unproductive. Yet I know I accomplished many things. Friday afternoon after work, I met Ken at IKEA where we looked for toy box solutions. I was feeling faint and rushed since I normally pick up the boys at 3:30. We were going to pick up this one shelf but I opted against it since I didn’t think my head was in the right place. I rushed home (only to realize I needed gas) and got to the boys at about 4. No, it isn’t like I get dinged for that. I don’t get in trouble and the boys probably hardly noticed. But my own personal autism causes me to be weird on schedules.

We headed out to Target to look again at the original idea. After looking at it again, and then pricing out the cuter and more expandable option, we determined that the solution was the one I had truly wanted 6 months ago! LOL!! We decided to pick up two containers. Essentially, it consists of a cube that you can then use various size containers inside. There are these kind of cloth buckets, and plastic ones. You can put one large in a cube, or 2 medium, or 4 small (there were also itty bitty that we determined wouldn’t be practical). We got a large and 4 small. You can add to this really easy, so we thought 2 would give us a good jumping off point, and then we could add if we needed more. It worked amazingly! I was able on Saturday morning get his ginourmous toy bin mostly into this little system. Yes, I tossed a crap load of toys (between Dax and Bobby, two huge trash bags worth) and could then organize the items better. Cars in the giant bin (it started off in one small until I determined he had so many they would not fit), characters in one, playmobile in another, and then two misc ones. He could stand to use one more cube with a large, but really, it is fantastic. I did the same for Dax, without actually having the cubes yet. I wanted to see how many he needs. He needs about 3, also, but his big problem is, well, big toys. He has several large cars and large “friends”. The cars may end up as outside toys, with us utilizing either one of the old toy bins or this shelf thing we have as storage. The other idea is putting in another shelf on the wall for his friends since his one shelf is about half the size of Bobby’s, and therefore he should have plenty of room for these. So that needs to be done, along with actually obtaining the cubes. All in all, not bad. I have not gotten rid of the bags of toys yet. I am waiting to make sure they don’t ask for something specific in the next week or so. Also, one set may be kept, but I have not decided yet. Either way, they are out of circulation as of the time being.

I did not get to the book shelves. Ken has been setting up his home office, and that would have been crowded with me on top of him there. I also still need boxes, which may mean I need to bring home some paper boxes from work. It is functional right now, so it isn’t as pressing. It is just a little too crowded for my taste, so once I get that handled, it will be nicer. But I need to take some time. Perhaps this weekend. Granted, I have a lot of work to do, so who knows, maybe I can do a little each night this week. While the boys watch a show, I can get a good 20 minutes of work done.

Bobby showed amazing integrity over the weekend. We have his chore chart set up right now. 3 easy ones for the first few weeks. Get dressed on his own, no hitting and get pj’s on by himself. Each day he does these, he gets 3 little magnets. If he makes it all week with no misses, he gets this Castle Lego set he likes. The first 2 weeks, he missed by one, but he still got small treats for the ones he did accomplish. So on Saturday night, we went out to present him with the 3 that would give him the Lego. He then proceeds to tell Ken that he in fact pushed Dax in the bathtub about 30 minutes before. Holy cow!! We were not going to ding him on it, since it was a mutual pushing that Dax started and all in all, super minor. So we are going to reward him for honesty this week.

Matt came over Saturday morning to color eggs with the kids. Have I mentioned that hard boiled eggs and kids under 5 are an interesting mix? Now, add colored water and an autistic brother, and you have a bit of a party. Ok, not really, but it worked out ok. They may have been a smidge young to handle things that break so easy, but we got it done with less mess than I expected. It also seemed to be a lot of prep for such a small amount of entertainment. But on the plus side, Matt hung out with the kids in the yard while Ken and I worked on our respective projects inside.

We took the boys to McDonalds on Friday night. Holy cow, they love the hell out of that place. They ran until Dax’s curls were dripping with sweat. This time, there was no breakdown of tears when we had to leave. Both boys shouted to the habitrail, “Goodbye McDonalds! We love you! We miss you!” Mind you, this was not prompted, yet very cute and well received by many of the parents in the room.

We didn’t make it back to Target for the additional cubes on Saturday, assuming we would get them at some point this week. However, I was amazed at how antsy I was when I was unable to go to Target on Sunday. It was one of those few days a year when my church is closed. Not that we needed anything, but the option was gone which frustrated me terribly. I hate being told I can’t do something like that. It is why I really would die in the country. If I had to drive more than 20 minutes to get to a store, then I would probably starve to death. At one point, Ken pointed out we could always go to Kmart since they were open. I cringed. Then he jokingly suggested that perhaps this meant that Kmart was better due to their more flexible hours. I told him that this was the worst thing he could even think. In fact, it would probably be better for him to break the news of potential infidelity with, “I love Kmart better than Target” and pause, wait for my crying to subside so that he could tell me he was kidding and then tell me he was f-ing someone else. It would be so much easier to take the news then.

Easter morning was awesome! The boys got up and I had them get dressed, telling them that the Easter Bunny called and that he was running late. They bought it, and when we were finishing up, Ken went around and rang the doorbell. The boys and I scrambled to go see if we could catch the Easter Bunny, and shockingly, they didn’t get all upset that he wasn’t there. Of course, that could be due to the Easter baskets that were sitting on the porch for them. They were so jazzed! We had gotten the wheelbarrows and I was pretty pleased with how good they looked. Of course, out of the 300 pics I took, doncha know I didn’t get one of their haul? Sheesh.

Matt came over and they hunted for eggs in the yard. It was really fun. We had about 4 dozen plastic eggs and it was perfect. Heck, next year, we may need to get even more. With plastic eggs so cheap (41 for a dozen), we may need to get like 10 dozen. Of course, that is a bitch, but they had so much fun, I wanted them to run for hours!

We played outside until we headed out for lunch at Denny’s. It was fun. After lunch, Matt followed us and we went over to Torrance Airport where this WWII bomber was at. We watched it land and take off, both of which were crazy impressive even for someone like me who doesn’t get all tingly over airplanes. Although, Ken had to point out that this one gun position on the bottom was called the coffin, and he proceed to tell me about how often if the landing gear was shot to hell, they would land on this, killing the guy in there. Yes, I am going to now obsess on this fact for a while since it messes with my head the idea of someone knowing they are about to die, and that someone else knows they are about to kill someone when they land.

The rest of Sunday was bland. Bobby napped, Dax did not (opposite of Saturday) and then they played some more out back. I didn’t do as much laundry and other stuff as I would have liked, having only done some cleaning on Saturday. I did sit and relax a bit, but even then, I didn’t do enough of that. I am not even sure what I did. I do know I didn’t get around to the rice krispie treats I wanted to make. Then again, it isn’t like those needed to be done the same weekend the boys were going to be bombarded with sugar.

I randomly went to the Yo Gabba website and found out that there is going to be a live appearance with DJ Lance and Toodee at this store in Hollywood. So the plan now is to trek out there. They said something about freebies, so you know I am all about that. Plus, the kids will probably enjoy seeing live Yo Gabba folks. Either that or it will scare them bad enough that they never watch the show again.

What is up with the news this weekend? Ok, I have to say yay for the polar bear who bit the piss out of that stupid woman who jumped into their habitat. And seriously, did Woody Harrison really think that by saying he thought the photographer was a zombie would get him out of assault charges? And yay on us getting the captain away from the pirates! I knew he would be safe. I don’t know why, just a gut feeling. I am always happy when my gut feeling is a good one, and it turns out to be right. There are no words for the Billy Bob Thorton assholery.

Spring Fest is this weekend, and I am excited. Ok, not really. At this point, I may need to not go just to break the cycle. It isn’t cool anymore. It isn’t even interesting. Sure, the kids will have some fun on some rides, but it is pricey. Heck, it would be cheaper to take them to Disneyland. But until I can manage to break out of it, we will be there, even if it is only for an hour.

Depending on Ken’s schedule, perhaps we will go to Target tonight (yes, I need my fix after the stress of yesterday) and get those other cubes. That way I can finish their rooms. In addition to that aspect of their rooms, I need to weed out their books. I have too many in there. I know, we are a book family, and to some degree, there is no such thing as too many books. However, with Dax only liking a handful of them right now for bedtime stories, and a whole bunch of ones getting thrashed when he gets up in the morning, it makes no sense to have so many that it is hard to clean up the mess. Bobby also has too many, some of which he doesn’t even like. So I may take out all but his favs, then add a couple new ones (I have even more in the closet) so he has some new options, yet not so many that it is a bitch to look at books.

Wasn’t I supposed to not stress about this shit anymore?

Aaarrrrrgggggghhhhhh!!! This stupid report is driving me bonkers!!

We had considered going to Legoland on Monday since Ken has free tickets for us any time we want. However, it sounds like he has class that day. So now, it leaves me with Monday off, but unsure of what I am going to do that day. Yes, day one of Furlough. The question is, do I take the boys some place? Do I take the day and work on all the projects I want to do? Do I just sit on my ass all day? I just don’t know! So this week, I will be figuring out my plans. Either way, a three day weekend sounds pretty cool over all. I could probably manage to take the boys to the zoo on my own. It would be pretty quiet I think since it is a Monday, and most Spring Breaks are ending by next week. Maybe I should take the boys to daycare and go see a movie with Ken in the morning before his class. Who am I kidding? His phone rings like non stop during the day. Hmm..well, I will come up with something.

Speaking of movies, I really need to return those last two Netflix movies I have. I also should check the account since I want to make sure we aren’t doing a higher rental account since we are not renting that much. It sounds like 1 a month or maybe 2 is plenty for us these days. Don’t need to pay for more than we do.

Ahhh, man. The boss is here. Not like I didn’t know it was coming.

Look, I like Obama, I do, but I can safely say I don’t give a crap about what kind of dog he got. Of course, I understand to some degree why it is news. The news can’t just be full of death and destruction. Ok, it can, but that isn’t what people want. Otherwise we will all hate watching anything on what is going on. You have to sugar coat some things. Then again, with news no longer being just part of one medium, is it truly necessary to do this? Of course, it is rare to only get your news from one source (I know I check several for even the same story) and the really super news channels are not going to only do fluff. What worries me is when they do. Should CNN really do stories on the Obama dog? I don’t know if I agree, I don’t know if I disagree, I just think it is an interesting debate.

I am super impressed with Dax’s memory. We have been reading Oh The Places You’ll Go each night and he loves the book, and I know I have read it to him a dozen times or more, but still, I am always shocked when he actually knows a lot of the words. He kind of reads along with me, which is way cute. I also have him finish sentences for me, which he loves. I even said a few lines while we were waiting for our food at Denny’s, and he could recite the next line. I feel as though I should be using his retention for something grander than just memorization of Dr. Seuss, but for now, this is happy making for both of us.

How hard would it be to get wireless mic’s for the boys? I mean, think of how cool that would be? I could capture some of the funny shit they say all the time. The other day they were watching Bolt, and singing along to one of the songs. Could not have been cuter. Yet by the time I would have had the camera out, I would have missed it. I carry that thing everywhere, but it isn’t like it is on and filming every second. I know, I have so much footage on these kids, there is going to be no question whatsoever about what their childhood was like. And they aren’t even 5 yet!!!

Minor Ken work crisis. It is under control, but still. He has to get back this truck he is borrowing by tomorrow morning, and the truck is still half full. Unloading isn’t a big problem, but getting all the stuff organized and out of the elements is. So Ken is currently at Home Depot obtaining sheds. This is good, if only because the stuff will get out of the driveway and will look nice. I am fine with a few sheds in the driveway. We don’t tend to pull all the way back, anyway. It is way too narrow for practical purposes. This sounds like it is Ken’s project for this week. I may need to send him out with the pile of chemicals over to the place to dump them so that that is gone, too, since it would make more room in the current driveway in the back.

Dude, can we say wacky? Papa Brenan got a Facebook page over the weekend. LOL!

I have been at this company so long that I really don’t know if I would be able to work somewhere else without freaking out! LOL!

I was impressed with the kids this weekend. So we picked up this pack of like 12 sponges that start out as little pills. Dollar Aisle is awesome. Anyhoo, they were all bugs. On the back of the package, was silhouettes of each bug included. We dropped them all into the bowl and watched them open up. The boys loved the hell out of this. I was actually able to use the fun as a learning game. When they were all open, I would take one out and have them find its match on the package. They both did great! I was so impressed. Made me realize I need to do more of these things with them. Maybe we need to go on a nature walk or something. Both love bugs.

Bobby finally figured out that he could go behind the hedge in our backyard. So he went on several adventures behind there. He even convinced Dax to go with him a couple times. That was cool.

It is way odd. So because of Facebook I have talked with some random people from my past. Those have recently included Shannon from Blockbuster, Flora from Earthlink, and Amada from Jr High. So odd! With Amanda, it is particularly odd since really, I don’t think I have seen or talked to her since Jr High. Ok, yes, I know I bumped into her a couple times when I was at Redondo (I think she knew Angela and Charlotte if I remember correctly, which is another odd thing, but I don’t feel the energy to get into that right now). But still, it is funny how this medium allows us to talk to people despite not really knowing them all that well. I love it. I really do.

It is so nice today! Normally I bring some leftovers for lunch. But since last night I was jonzing for some Taco Bell, I didn’t have anything. Instead, I made a sandwich. Holy crap it is tasty. It is just turkey, but it is yummy. I may need to bring a PB&J tomorrow just for the hell of it. I think it helps, too, that we always have fresh bread on hand these days. This stems from how many sandwiches the boys go through and how much just bread they eat. They ask for it all the time! So we have to go to the store a lot for more bread. We don’t even bother freezing it we go through it so quickly. Milk, too. I think on Saturday, between the boys and I, we went through almost 2 gallons! Dang, now I wish I had some milk to drink with this sandwich.

It is always amusing when I am in my little corner alone. I have not talked to anyone since in about 3 hours. Ok, not entirely true. I spoke to a couple of customers on the phone, but I have not actually had someone in front of me since, oh, shoot, it has probably been since about 7:30 this morning. It is now 11. I have shouted over the cube wall, but that is about it. So funny! If I play my cards right, I won’t really deal with anyone today. Ok, no, that isn’t fair. I actually like most of my coworkers, and my IT chick is hopefully coming over at some point to help me with the report. Let’s just hope it isn’t in the midst of my lunch hour.

I am considering going to Target on my own tonight. Or just taking one kid. I can get the cubes, and that way tomorrow I can work on organizing. I know Ken has the truck and stuff to do, but I have a feeling a lot of that will be him, not me. I can work on the inside. I suppose I can handle both kids.

Ok, I spoke to soon. I bumped into someone when I went to the restroom. LOL!

My children are such boys. Ok, they are children, too, but boys for sure. Let’s just say the fart is the funniest thing in the world, and if you say butt, they giggle. Awesome.

So some people at work pointed out that the plastic eggs they hid for the kids had money in them. I don’t know how I feel about this. To some degree, that is kind of cool, especially with an older crowd of kids. Then again, I am hoping that it doesn’t come down to bribing the kids to participate simply because they could make a few bucks. I know that eventually I would like to hide eggs with clues to where the next egg is. I am also hoping that despite the fact that most kids hate doing things with their family eventually, that I can keep that from happening with fun family tradition instead of money. I know that once we hid the eggs for my parents to find once, which was funny. I like the idea of maybe one egg has like a special prize. I also would like to have more people involved, but of course, that is hard. Most people have their own family stuff. Although, perhaps I need to invite some family over for some kind of annual Easter Egg hunt. Might be fun. Or more hassle than it is worth.

I never know what to say to someone who looks miserable. Ok, yes, I do when I know them, but coworkers? Especially when I don’t know them well. I have known this one for almost 9 years, and we have had ups and downs. In the last few years, it has been great, though. He mom passed recently, and her grandmother isn’t well. She is in charge of so much with her family now, and it is tough. She is a couple years older than me, and just found out her two sons (she had them when she was a teen) both got their girlfriends knocked up, and both are expecting boys in August. She is going to be a grandmother twice over before she is 40. She is taking off most of May to visit with her grandmother. She looked beat when I just saw her. I asked her if she was ok, but she didn’t really say much. Of course, there is not much I can do beyond that. If she doesn’t want to tell me everything, that is way reasonable. But I always worry I didn’t try hard enough.

I watched Forrest Gump over the weekend. It is one of those movies I think I can watch 100 times and still get choked up at. Of course, it doesn’t help that Tom Hanks crying is a sure fire way to get me weeping. It should be illegal, I tell you.

Wow, I never have my heater on all day. I guess it is the right amount of cozy. I also don’t feel as sleepy as I tend to. I think I actually caught up on some sleep this weekend. The boys slept in both days (I think they came out around 7?) and it makes a huge difference. I also have kept pretty busy all day. And no, not just doing this. I actually have done a lot of work. I will do a bit of work, then write a smidge as something comes to me. It has been a good balance.

Ok, it is about noon, and I am going to sign off. I will be posting shortly in my 30 minutes of quota time.